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New York Times
02-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's past losses are driving him to two potentially huge wins
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed his Canadian teammates inside that somber Paris locker room in early August, their hopes of medaling for the first time since 1936 dashed in a quarterfinals loss to France at the Olympics, there was a brutal lesson being learned — again — that he would carry forward. Advertisement 'It's a terrible feeling, obviously,' Gilgeous-Alexander said to his basketball brothers while sitting at his locker, as captured in Netflix's 'Court of Gold' documentary about the men's basketball tournament in Paris. 'I think for me, personally, I might have overlooked the opportunity a little bit. Like, once the game was over, I realized it's another four years until we get this opportunity (again). That's a long f—ing time. So for me, and I'd advise the rest of you, to remember what this feels like.' The scene provides a fascinating look inside the psyche of one of the NBA's best young stars and, perhaps, its next MVP. The honesty and humility with which he assesses his mindset, coupled with his choice to share that truth with the group, reveals the probing process of a player who is constantly trying to find the next angle both on the court and off. To solve the proverbial puzzle. In that moment of regret, he was talking to himself more than anyone else. It's seven months later, and the Oklahoma City star who has led the Thunder to one of the league's most dominant regular seasons of all time, with the league's youngest roster no less, is less than an hour removed from the Thunder's latest one-sided win. The 26-year-old guard whose mindfulness is such a staple of his celebrated aura, and who had just spent much of his postgame news conference in Sacramento emphasizing the power that comes with remaining present, agrees to entertain a premise about the past — and the forthcoming playoffs — from this reporter (who was trying his hand at armchair sports psychology). The idea, conveyed to Gilgeous-Alexander as he stood inside a Golden 1 Center hallway, is that his experience in France ending so painfully surely intensified his appetite for hoops destruction in the upcoming playoffs. To pour even more salt in that wound, the possibility also is raised that the Thunder's failures in the 2024 playoffs — when they fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the second round after earning the Western Conference's top seed — might also qualify as the kind of flameout that leaves a scar and eventually, like the Olympics, inspires new growth. Advertisement Gilgeous-Alexander unpacks the moments in his mind, deciding for himself whether there's a through line on the logic. His answer comes with the same sort of self-awareness that was so apparent that day inside Bercy Arena in Paris. 'Yeah, absolutely,' Gilgeous-Alexander, whose Thunder (63-12) have won 10 consecutive games and 16 of their last 17, told The Athletic. 'In that instance, I'm thinking like, 'We're a bunch of NBA players (on Team Canada). We're supposed to be in the Olympics. We're supposed to medal.' I don't think anything of it. I think I'm gonna be back here in four years in L.A. But knock on wood, I could be injured and not be in the Olympics, and then four years from then, I could be out of my prime, and there's someone better than me, and I never get a chance to go to Olympics again. 'I think losing that game (to France) really showed me like, 'Now I have to wait another four years for this.' (And) that showed me like, you don't ever want to take things for granted, because nothing in life is promised. Like (Thunder) coach (Mark Daigneault) said a couple weeks ago, this group that we have today could be the best group of players I ever play with. You think, 'Oh, we're all 25 or under, so we have a whole runway in front of us.' But you never know what happens.' As Gilgeous-Alexander explained, the spirit of that last statement has many layers to it. There's the elephant-in-the-room historical context, as the Thunder know as well as any organization that the runway isn't always as long as it might appear for teams with dynamic young cores. Their famed trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden famously led an NBA Finals run in 2012, only for Harden to be traded to the Houston Rockets before the following season. Durant and Westbrook couldn't bring the Thunder back to that finals peak. 'Yeah, exactly,' Gilgeous-Alexander said about the comparison of Thunder eras. Advertisement More than that, it seems, the Daigneault statement that Gilgeous-Alexander referenced was born out of a genuine appreciation for what they have right now rather than any sort of prediction of the roster construction to come. And not only is that stance justified, given the historical nature of this team that currently boasts the largest point differential of all time (13.3 points per game), but it's in line with the stay-in-the-moment ethos that is clearly a driving force in their success. 'We think about bigger-picture things, but at the end of the day, the way that you accomplish your goals, the way that you win a basketball game, is by stacking,' said Daigneault, who is in his fifth season at the Thunder helm. 'So we just try to root back into the next possession. We try to root back into today and be incredibly present together and allow the compounding effect of that to win the day. And that's how we've been in this position. We didn't set up at the beginning of the season and say we wanted to win 60 games, but we stacked to that point, and that's where we are right now. So anything we continue to accomplish from here on out is going to be the result of how we play the next possession, how we attack the next day. We're going to stay on that track.' Let the moments shape you, but never leave that space where every competitive fiber of your being is focused on the latest task at hand. Enjoy the wins, and learn from the (rare) losses, as a group. That's the shared goal, anyway. And while it might all sound like a Ted Talk, there's an authenticity behind this leadership approach, from Gilgeous-Alexander on down, that makes it hard to question. It's there in those goofy postgame interviews where there is a concerted effort for all of their players to share the spotlight and the joy that comes with it. It was there after the win over the Kings, when Gilgeous-Alexander, en route to handling his media duties, stopped to grab an energy drink out of the cooler for Isaiah Hartenstein as if he were a locker room attendant. Before departing, he asked around to make sure everyone else was good too. It was one of those little things that, to a star player's teammate, can be so big. From this vantage point, the affection and admiration that Gilgeous-Alexander's teammates clearly have for him gives off Stephen Curry/Golden State Warriors vibes. It's that deft understanding of inclusivity with all members of the organization that can be so powerful. 'Throughout my career, there's always a village,' Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters in his news conference. 'Obviously I'm having success in this league, (but) I wouldn't be having success without so many people. … If (my teammates) aren't as good as they are, and don't help me be the player I am, I don't care if I average 40 (points). If we have 12 wins every year, no one cares, you know what I mean? I understand that, and they're just as important to me as my skill development or my numbers.' Gilgeous-Alexander's we-over-me mindset has been there all along when it comes to the MVP race, too, with his focus firmly on the collective at a time when he could be pounding his chest about the remarkable season he has had. Advertisement As one person close to Gilgeous-Alexander shared, he was (not surprisingly) disappointed last season when he took second in MVP voting behind the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokić. Not only had he averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, five rebounds and two steals — marks previously reached by just five other players — but also he did it on the West's top team. The advice that was given by the confidante at the time, while wise, was easier said than done: Just go do it again. Alas, he has been even better instead. It takes a whole lot of hoops heroics to earn comparisons to the one and only Michael Jordan, but Gilgeous-Alexander's season (league-leading 32.8 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds) is indeed on par with some of MJ's best. But it's the similarity in their profiles that makes that conversation so intriguing, as SGA (who is the same height as Jordan, at 6-foot-6, but about 20 pounds lighter) also has managed to set an MJ-esque defensive tone for this group that has the league's best rating on that end (by a mile). If you dig a little deeper on the numbers, accounting for the manageable minutes that Gilgeous-Alexander has played because of the Thunder's dominance, you get an even more accurate sense of his true impact. He has scored 34.6 points per 36 minutes, which is fifth all time. Wilt Chamberlain hit that mark only once. He has my vote. But again, winning the MVP debate simply isn't at the top of Gilgeous-Alexander's list of priorities. Amid all these questions about whether these Thunder are mature enough to make the next step, with him sending a loud and selfless message to his group that winning the whole damn thing is all that truly matters, that's the most impressive part. All of which is to say that these Thunder, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, appear to be very much for real. Near the end of our brief but revealing chat, we discussed the 2024 postseason and whether, as was the case in Paris, he had any similar misgivings about his level of focus and engagement. Gilgeous-Alexander wasted no time in confirming that was the case. Advertisement Never mind that he had been a one-man wrecking crew against the Mavericks in the second round. The deed didn't get done. 'I definitely wasn't (present enough),' he said. 'I definitely wasn't. The Olympics helped me with that for sure. I was locked in, still trying to win — obviously — but I just didn't see it through that lens. And that's what life does. The experiences in life help you see things differently and help you grow. And I think that that's definitely what I got from this summer.' Like it or not for the rest of the league, there might be another growth spurt coming. (Top photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
New York Times
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Paris Olympics: A chat with the director of the Netflix doc ‘Court of Gold'
Last summer, the basketball world was treated to one of the most fiercely contested tournaments in Olympics history in Paris. Earlier this month, fans were able to relive it all again with the new Netflix series, 'Court of Gold.' The series offers unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Team USA, with Kevin Durant taking center stage. 'Court of Gold' captures the shifting landscape in international basketball as it follows France, Serbia and Canada during their time in Paris and has already been labeled as the best sports series of 2025. Advertisement On the latest episode of 'NBA Daily,' director Jake Rogal chatted with Es Baraheni and Zena Keita about which team was the most fun to cover and the best bits that didn't make it to our screens. A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on YouTube below or in the 'NBA Daily' podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Keita: Which team was the most fun to be around? I have a thought, but I want your answer first. Rogal: I want to hear your thoughts first, and I can tell you whether it's true or not. Baraheni: Yeah, what's your bet? Keita: I'm thinking Serbia. I think they were a good time. Particularly because while the USA and France were battling for their lives, Serbia had been drunk for 24 hours (laughs). I want to know if Serbia was the most fun. Rogal: Max Gershberg was the lead producer on the show, and his job in Paris was to get the Serbians to warm up to him and the crew. It was the hardest assignment of the whole project because the Serbians were the most serious. Coach (Svetislav) Pešić ran a very tight ship, and Max had to do a lot of work to convince those guys that this was worth their time. So, the Serbians were one of the harder ones to crack because the tone that Coach Pešić set was, 'Nothing matters besides basketball. I don't care if you're in Paris and your family's here, you need to run on the track instead of having dinner with them.' Once they won a medal, they were fun, but that was one of the last days we were shooting. The Canadians were the loosest team. They had cool music playing during practice, and they had a swagger about them that just jumped out. Baraheni: It's what we do, true. Keita: OK, whatever, Es (laughs). Rogal: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led that, but they were cool. Shai set the tone, and coach Jordi (Fernández) is also really cool; he's very human. The French were also really fun to be around. We got really close with Boris Diaw. He's awesome. But they had a lot of pressure on them, and anytime they left where they were, the media around them was insane, so it was harder for them to let loose. Advertisement The USA basketball team was also fun to be around, but they had so much attention that it was hard to gain access there because everyone else was trying, and we were one of 100 people trying to get in with them. Each team had a different personality. Baraheni: That's awesome to hear, because I guess hanging out each day, you didn't know what you were going to get. There was this unexpected mystery: 'What does today have in store for us?' It's sort of a moving target, storytelling-wise. One of the cool things about it is, at least from watching it from the outside perspective, you're wondering what was left. What did you guys not put in the doc? There are so many moments that were captured with Steph, KD and LeBron celebrating and the incredible USA-Serbia game, but what was the moment you wish was in that doc that wasn't? Rogal: There are two that come to mind. One is we shot Greece qualifying for the Olympics, and that was cool because you saw Giannis (Antetokounmpo) in the locker room and they're all spraying champagne. It was awesome, but we needed to get to the Olympics early on because we had so much to cover, so we couldn't fit it in. Then the moment between Ant (Anthony Edwards) and President Obama. That night, we shot a dinner afterwards with the president and Team USA, which was amazing. But we didn't have room for it at that moment because, again, we just had to get to the Olympics. Those two moments come to mind. Our team did an awesome job of getting the best stuff in. With a lot of these docs we shoot, we normally shoot over two or three years, and you have a ton of footage to work with. While we did shoot a lot, it was only from June '24 to December '24, so it's not as much as you would think. We picked the best moments and tried to build the series around those moments and tentpole them throughout the series. Baraheni: Ant trash-talking Obama is amazing (laughs). Advertisement Keita: No, it was not. It was so awkward. I had such cringe at that moment. I was like, 'This is the president, Ant, what are you doing?' (laughs) Rogal: Let me take some of your cringes away, because it speaks volumes to who both of them are. President Obama is creating an environment where guys are comfortable enough being themselves. He could've easily come in and said, 'I'm the president, how dare you talk to me that way?' But he didn't, he was cool. He was actually getting more out of Ant by bringing LeBron in and saying, 'You hear what he said?' He was creating a comfortable environment for Ant, which shows how cool President Obama is. Then, Ant was being completely himself, because that's what makes Ant great. He's comfortable being himself no matter who he's in front of, whether it's us or the president; it shows how cool he is. While I understand it's shocking and uncomfortable, they're both so cool for creating that moment and doing it knowing we were there. I feel like it was a cool moment. You can listen to full episodes of NBA Daily for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and watch on YouTube.
Fox News
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
'Court of Gold' director discusses NBA players' affinity for USA despite prior anthem protests
Four years prior to representing the United States in the 2024 Summer Olympics, several members of that team - LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo - took part in kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice; Stephen Curry took part in 2021, hours after the Capitol riots. Upon doing so, there were calls that the two were disrespecting a country that they in fact did not want to be a part of. However, representing the Stars and Stripes on the biggest stage seems to say otherwise. James and Davis' quest for a gold medal this past summer was featured in a new Netflix documentary, titled "Court of Gold," that followed the American, French, Serbian and Canadian national teams out in Paris. The six-part doc was released last week. Director Jake Rogal said he never discussed politics with any of the players, but he was certainly able to tell that they did not take representing their country for granted, despite issues they may have had with it in the past. "I think you have pride in where you're from, even if you're not happy with how things are," Rogal said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "I think that we're in a polarizing, tumultuous environment. And I think that no matter what, whether you like it or not, this is where you're from, and you want to put your best foot forward in representing that." It sure seems like most American-born NBA players would prefer the league titles over gold medals, but in the moment, it sure looked hard to tell. In crunch time, especially in the semifinals and finals, anybody could easily see just how important those games were. However, Rogal said the players find it impossible to compare the two phenomenons. "I don't know if they compare them, because we asked a question that's similar, and the answer we got back pretty consistently was that they're two different experiences, so you can't compare them," Rogal said. "The NBA championship is a whole season, and you're building up to that, and it's your job. The Olympics are for your country, and it's a quick hit, and it's like, while it's the same sport, it's two different accomplishments … I don't think they're comparable. I think they're both special in their own right for their own reasons." The Olympics were a far cry from, say, the All-Star break. The closing minutes of the gold medal game, when Stephen Curry lit it up and carried the Americans to the gold, peaked at 22.7 million viewers. It was the most-watched gold medal game since 1996; however, this year's All-Star Game was the second-lowest rated since the turn of the century, with an average of just 4.7 million viewers. The NBA festivities were trumped by the NHL's 4 Nations tournament, as over 9 million took in the USA-Canada final (although fights and political tensions certainly played roles). Nonetheless, given the emotions of these past Olympics, Rogal does feel, though, that NBA players would be all for following the NHL's footsteps by introducing an international tournament for the All-Star break. "I think any time you include country, it raises the stakes. It makes things more appealing. It adds emotion right away. It adds competitiveness," said Rogal. "So, I think getting country competition in the mix at any point is smart. Whether that's at an All-Star Game or at an Olympics, I think that you would get a more competitive response if you do add country into it because it's so personal. I think it could be appealing to them." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What to stream this week: Surprise, LeBron James isn't king of Netflix's 'Court of Gold'
Everyone is likely wrapped up in any number of compelling streaming choices that debuted after the holiday season. New high-profile streaming options aren't conspicuous with their presence this week. There are, however, a couple of entries from last week that deserve some attention, including a docuseries about Olympic hoop dreams with a local connection. Streaming on Netflix It might seem strange to local viewers that LeBron James isn't front and center in the Netflix docuseries 'Court of Gold,' which chronicles the quest for the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. After all, James was named the tournament MVP for averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.3 steals in six tournament games in Team USA wins. Netflix is a global business, streaming in more than 190 countries, and with basketball being the most popular sport exported worldwide, the docuseries emphasizes this global reach by offering an in-depth look at the game from a global perspective. It's a smart choice because there are tons of interesting storylines on the global stage and 'Court of Gold' explores them in depth. The general perspective over its six-episodes: USA basketball remains king for now – especially after the Paris Olympics – but the rest of the world is catching up quickly. The filmmakers construct a narrative from that viewpoint and do so through the current dominant international organizations in the sport – the United States, Canada, France and Serbia. While the U.S. team is stocked with stars – so many of them that they all couldn't find a role on the team so they could get on the court during games those other teams have NBA stars of their own. Canada has at least four NBA players that includes current MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma Thunder. For Serbia: there's three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic. And lastly, the French team had Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum. That provides evidence that basketball is indeed a truly international sport and all of these teams in this series receive some shine. The beauty of the entire series: it reveals camaraderie on and off the court along with the tense locker room moments that are to be expected in competitive sports. Streaming on Disney+ I'm old enough to remember when the release of any Pixar project came with significant amounts of hype – especially a Pixar 'first.' That's why it's surprising that the prestigious animation studio and Disney subsidiary's release of 'Win or Lose' hasn't been met with the requisite fanfare. Though it was not without controversy. That's a downer when considering the show, which debuted on Disney+ recently, represents the best of the studio and is reminiscent of the recent 'Inside Out 2' in that it takes animation, deals with complex emotions and explores them with sensitivity and humor. Disney+ dropped the first two episodes that explores the lives of eight characters linked to a softball team that is set to play in the league championship game in a week. The first features Laurie, a tween who is dealing with confidence issues on the field and off. The second concerns the game's umpire Frank, who, despite being considered excellent at his hobby as a game official, can't seem to get his personal life in order due to myriad issues. The most prominent: being introverted. In case you missed: 'Reacher' is indeed back and in fine form on Prime Video…Bridget Jones has returned in 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' on Peacock. And, yes, 'The White Lotus' is doing a slow burn toward something compelling. George M. Thomas dabbles in television and movies for the Beacon Journal. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Streaming this week: 'Court of Gold' on Netflix, 'Win or Lose'
New York Times
20-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blood clot stalls Victor Wembanyama's ascent, but Spurs are signaling optimism
When the awful news of Victor Wembanyama's season-ending blood clot was released, I had just finished the sixth and final episode of the Netflix documentary, 'Court of Gold,' which ends with a dramatic warning from the 21-year-old phenom. Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs sensation who is well on his way to becoming the future face of the NBA, can be seen speaking to reporters not long after his French national team fell to Team USA in the gold medal game of the Paris Olympics. His emotions were still raw, with the welling tears that were shown moments before being wiped away, but his mind had already turned toward what was ahead. A bright future, one that would cast darkness on all of his foes, awaited him. Advertisement 'I'm learning, and you know it's — I'm worried for the opponents in a couple years,' Wembanyama said. A reporter asked if this message was intended for his NBA opponents or the ones on the global stage. 'Everywhere,' he replied. Then, with Wembanyama getting the final say on a series that featured the likes of LeBron James, Nikola Jokić, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and so many other NBA greats, the credits rolled. That's how this story was supposed to go, with the symbolism of that final scene as unmistakable as Wembanyama's remarkable size and talents. The Wemby era had officially arrived, and everyone in his way needed to be afraid. Yet now, with the Spurs announcing that Wembanyama had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, those fears have been flipped in a most unwelcome way. The Spurs are signaling optimism, with a team source telling The Athletic that Wembanyama is expected to be fully healthy and ready at the start of training camp in October. Per the team source, Wembanyama had been experiencing low energy in recent weeks which initially caused concern. He continued to feel that way during All-Star Weekend when he took part in that controversial skills competition with Spurs teammate Chris Paul on Saturday and logged a combined 13 minutes of action in his two All-Star games on Sunday. But when Wembanyama's two-day vacation after All-Star Weekend didn't do the trick, with his energy still low as the final stretch of the season neared, the decision to investigate further was made. And make no mistake, that's the only positive part here. This could have been so much worse. According to the renowned Cleveland Clinic, deep vein thrombosis is a 'blood clot in a vein located deep within your body.' You don't need a medical degree to be terrified by that sort of statement. As the website explains, blood clots sometimes break free, travel through one's bloodstream and cause life-threatening embolisms. Advertisement As NBA fans are well aware, this is why the players who have dealt with this sort of issue in the past — among them Hall of Famer Chris Bosh, the Detroit Pistons' Ausar Thompson, the Toronto Raptors' Brandon Ingram and the Los Angeles Lakers' Christian Koloko — were handled with the utmost sensitivity and care. In Bosh's case, he was forced to retire at the age of 32 because of a blood clot in his lung. The other three, thankfully, have been able to resume their careers. Yet even with the positive long-term prognosis for Wembanyama, there is an air of inevitable uncertainty that is as inescapable as his go-go-Gadget arms. Especially because of what he means to the league. As the 'Court of Gold' documentary reminded the masses, the NBA's most beloved stars can't shine forever. Steph, KD and LeBron put on an incredible show in their gold-medal march, one that took their already-legendary careers to new heights because of the brilliant and beautiful way they joined forces, 'Avengers' style. But Father Time is beating down their doors now, and it was becoming increasingly clear that Wembanyama was the only young player who truly understood what it would require to take that torch. Ja Morant looked like he would be that guy, but injuries have slowed the Memphis Grizzlies star's ascent, and his PR falloff in recent years was fast and steep. Ditto for the New Orleans Pelicans' Zion Williamson. Luka Dončić is still a worthy candidate, especially given his recent relocation to Laker Land, but his aversion to media and years-long criticism about his work habits don't help. Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it should be noted, has become a serious contender in this space and will be even more of a household name if he wins his first MVP trophy this season. Anthony Edwards is still as compelling as they come among the young stars, but the Minnesota Timberwolves guard crystallized this whole conversation at All-Star Weekend when he was asked if he wanted to be the next face of the league. 'Nah, not really,' he said. 'That's what they've got Wemby for.' Anthony Edwards doesn't consider himself the 'face of the NBA,' because 'that's what they've got Wemby for.' — SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) February 15, 2025 Even Wembanyama's peers had come to accept this reality. Not only was Wembanyama playing at the sort of all-world level that is required to be in the running for this sort of esteemed spot, averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game and earning his first All-Star berth along the way. But Wembanyama, who has been in the international spotlight since first becoming a pro as a 15-year-old, had showcased the kind of charisma, competitiveness, professionalism and global appeal that could take the NBA where it so desperately wants to go in this next era. Advertisement The winds have already been blowing in this direction for quite some time with the last six MVPs having been won by international stars (three to Jokić, two to Giannis Antetokounmpo and one to Joel Embiid). What's more, the league's recent efforts to add a new league in Europe are quite synergistic with this continued shift beyond the American borders. Like it or not, Wembanyama's massive part in that push is on hold for now. There will be no 2025 playoff run for the Spurs' new dynamic duo of Wemby and De'Aaron Fox, who pushed his way out of Sacramento earlier this month, in large part, because of the allure of playing alongside the ferocious Frenchman. Wembanyama won't be winning his first of many Defensive Player of the Year awards, as he will now fall well short of the league's 65-game requirement for such honors. The short-term is shot. But so long as the early medical projections hold up, the positive part here is that Wembanyama should be back doing what he loves, and what so many love watching him do, before long. The Spurs, who entered Thursday 23-29 and 10th in the Western Conference, should be even stronger by the time he returns. They not only have their own first-round draft pick, which is currently at the back end of the lottery, but another first-rounder from Atlanta as well (the Hawks, at 26-29, are eighth in the East). Here's to hoping his valiant return, and the health that comes with it, are someday featured in the Wemby documentary that should still be decades away. (Photo of Victor Wembanyama: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
